Aria is a professional figure skater. The skating rink was located inside a massive, high-level sports complex that also housed martial arts, tennis, and volleyball. It was a place for serious athletes the kind who already had medals hanging in their rooms and reputations to protect.

But within those walls, it was no secret: the figure skaters were the favorites.

The rink took up nearly a third of the entire facility. It required special temperature control, expensive maintenance, and constant attention from staff. While the martial artists trained on worn mats and the volleyball players fought over court time, the ice was always perfectly resurfaced before and after Aria’s sessions. Major competitions meant banners, spotlights, and sometimes even local media coverage focused almost entirely on the skaters.

Funding followed attention. New costumes, choreographers, private ice time the figure skaters seemed to receive opportunities the others could only argue for. The tennis and volleyball teams muttered that their achievements were just as impressive, yet they were given less recognition. The martial artists especially resented how the cold air from the rink drifted into their section, stiffening their muscles during early morning training.

Aria just came from school and met up with her teammates to go to the hall to train for her upcoming competition.